The best microphone on the market for your run-and-gun styled setups

16 November 2017 — Admin

Rode have somehow improved their shotgun microphone lineup made for DSLR and mirrorless cameras

Making something great, even greater. It's how we'd describe the Rode Videomic Pro + in five words. Rode has taken the original VideoMic Pro which was great and added some amazing new features, including better audio quality to bring us the most impressive vlogging and videography microphone on the market for under £300.

Microphone Features:

Two stage high-pass filter at 150 and 75 (this reduces low frequencies in the background, such as noise from traffic).

Three stage gain control with output levels from -10db and +20db (this can increase audio quality on DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras).

High frequency boost (which is very handy when you're rocking a deadcat as it enhances clarity and detail in your audio).

LED lit readouts and digital buttons.

Auto-switch on and off. This is a great NEW feature that switches your microphone on and off in sync with your camera.

Safety channel recording. This new feature lets users record audio to the right channel whilst using the left channel as a safety track that records the same audio at -10db.

Size, Build and Structure:

The VideoMic Pro +is slightly bigger and sturdier than its predecessor, but that's not necessarily worse. It's bigger build means that there are different components under the hood for better audio capture. There is also larger-sized foam around the microphone which helps reduce noise and provide better sound quality.

It is equipped with LED buttons instead of old school switches to control the high-pass filter and output levels.

The battery door is also fantastic. Filmmakers sometimes struggled with their original VideoMic Pros to get that battery door open, but now it just pops open! Thank you Rode for understanding the frustrations of us filmmakers.

Battery:

The biggest difference between the old and the new models is that the Videomic Pro + has a lithium-Ion removable and rechargeable battery. So you can just plug in a micro USB cable and charge your microphone. This means you can use a powerbank to charge your mic when you're away from a power point. Unlike the original Videomic Pro, which takes a 9V battery, this one can also takes two AA batteries if you run out of juice and have no charger to hand. The original VideoMic Pro was renowned for its incredibly long battery life (over 70 hours) and the VideoMic Pro builds upon this by improving its longevity.

Connectivity:

The 3.5mm TRS cable that plugs from your microphone into the camera is removable on both ends which means you can simply replace it with a cable that suits your needs, instead of buying adapters and extra cables to go from 3.5mm to XLR. This also means you can buy a longer cable or replace damaged cables easily.

Rode microphones have always maintained a phenomenal quality versus price rapport. Having used the VideoMic Pro on shoots before I've been very impressed by the improvements that come with the VideoMic Pro +. With game-changing features such as safety channel recording and auto-switch on and off, Rode have outdone themselves. You can pick up your own VideoMic Pro + for only £259, which, put simply, isn't that much for a great quality videography, run and gun microphone that packs all the latest features.

Check out Rode's Facebook and Twitter accounts for the latest updates from the company down under!